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Professor Mark Williams – An Introduction to Mindfulness

Professor Mark Williams – An Introduction To Mindfulness

Professor Mark Williams is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology at Oxford and was also the Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre until his retirement in 2013.

Professor Williams, along with colleagues John Teasdale (Cambridge) and Zindel Segal (Toronto), developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for prevention of relapse and recurrence in major depression. He is also co-author of the best selling book ‘Mindfulness: Finding Peace In A Frantic World.’

In this interview Mark elegantly answers the question ‘what is mindfulness?’ He also leads 2 simple introductory practices for beginners and talks about why mindfulness is so effective for the treatment of depression relapse.

In this interview you’ll also discover…

  • The difference between mindlessness and mindfulness.
  • Why mindlessness often gets us into so much trouble.
  • The cutting edge research on mindfulness for depression (Mark is one of the world premiere researchers in this field).
  • The ‘breathing space’ mindfulness practice, which is great to use in times of stress and difficult emotions
  • How to use ‘habit releasers’ to bring more mindfulness into daily life.
  • An experience of the ‘body scan’ mindfulness practice.


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Listen to the audio version here

 

Show Notes

Join the The Mindfulness Summit Journey here

Come and join the community discussions at any time on our Facebook page

Check out Melli’s blog, events and retreats at MrsMindfulness.com

More about MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy)

Check out Marks books ‘Mindfulness: Finding peace in a frantic world’

More about the Oxford Mindfulness Centre

 

Audio

Video

Transcript

Download Mark Williams audio interview

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Download Mark Williams breathing space meditation

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Download Mark Williams interview transcript

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1165 Responses

  6. lon

    Can one comment on mindlessness and ADHD. Is ADHD mindlessness just to a greater degree and how does mindfulness benefit one with ADHD? Does it elevate being mindful at the same rate?

    1. mark williams

      Dear Ion
      This is a great question. You could see ADHD as a spectrum with formal diagnosis being at one end of it, and the rest of us ranged along the dimension. I guess we all know what it is like to be frazzled from time to time, when our minds are all over the place, and this gives us compassion for those for whom this is a constant state.
      Susan Bogels in Amsterdam is doing some pioneering work offering mindfulness for young people who have ADHD and their parents.
      Warm wishes
      Mark

  7. mark williams

    Dear All,
    I am going to be logging out in about half an hour (10 pm in Oxford).
    If anyone has a further question, feel free to post it and I’ll try to answer if I can.
    Mark

  8. Rita Apgar

    Thank you so much and good night. Got to it late but I made it! Even in a tiny village inland from the Italian Riviera, we can be so connected and multi-tasking that I hope this this summit will be as refreshing as the air that we breathe.

  10. elizabeth

    Thank you so much Mark and Mellie!!! It was wonderfully balanced with information as well as experiential. I appreciated the moderator/conversational format of this talk. It felt very real to me and less the robotic interview. Actually a nice habit release ; )) Much gratitude for the inspiration!

  13. mark williams

    Some have asked “What’s different between mindfulness and yoga?

    In mindfulness, the breath is used as an anchor to ground the mind and bring it back to the present moment when it tends to wander. There are many similarities between these different practices – all came from ancient wisdom traditions in Asia. There are different emphases within the yoga tradition, but the more mindful yoga teachers are teaching practices that are very close to the instructions used in mindfulness to follow the breathe without trying to control it.

    Mindfulness and yoga complement each other very well. Yoga is a beautiful way of learning to be more ‘embodied’ so we don’t simply live in our head all the time. But for some people it is not enough to focus on the body, because the thoughts and feelings are so powerful that they are too distracting. They then need to be addressed directly by deliberately turning towards them, and seeing more clearly that they are mental events. This takes practice – ‘yoga for the mind’ if you will. Mindfulness does this by building on the attentional stability (that has been brought about by the breath and body meditations) to then deliberately open up the heart and mind, first to sounds, then thoughts and feelings; seeing the reactivity of the mind without harsh judgement.

  14. Outi Alaja

    Greetings from Helsinki, Finland! As October 1st is soon turning into October 2nd over here, I just finished watching the first talk – not live, but very inspiring nonetheless. Thank you to Mark Williams!

    Because of the time difference, I wont be able to see the talks live – unless it’s my day off so I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be able to see them later!

    Mindfulness is the best thing that has happened to me. It is a great, big part of my life nowadays. I work as a licensed practical nurse in home care here in Helsinki, and I have used some of the mindfulness exercises with my patients – to help with coping with pain, for example. I am telling you this, since Mark wished that mindfulness would spread wider across the care industry. It will happen – I am sure! I hold it as a guideline of how I approach my work – different kinds of situations, emotions…you name it!

    I am very excited to take part in the summit! I wish you all An Interesting October 2015!

    And now, I’m off to bed. It’s late over here. 🙂

  15. Julie Wikman

    Thank you Melli & Mark! What a great discussion! I have been practicing and studying mindfulness for several years and Mark enlightened me with new concepts and insights. Mark you were fabulous! Your reading of Hokusai says was wonderful! Thank you melli for putting this together! Wishing everyone peace, love & joy!

  20. mark williams

    I have been asked:
    “Is it correct to say that when we are mindful, we observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad?

    Yes. Mindfulness puts a little gap between things that happen and how we react to them. This gives more choice about how best to respond. We are less likely to say the first thing that comes into our head, and this can save a great deal of grief. A colleague Marsha Linehan talks of “putting more synapses between impulse and action”, and I agree. When we say we don’t judge them good or bad, we don’t mean that “anything goes”. It means that we use ‘discernment’ about what is wholesome and unwholesome, what will lead us to do the right thing versus the wrong thing; but the discernment doesn’t get entangled in self-blame that simply obscures our view of what is most skilful.

  22. Jim Bright

    Finished listening to the interview. Really good, I really like how Mark Williams gets the message over. I loved his gym analogy, where the thoughts are the gym equipment which one uses to strengthen the attention. A great start to the summit with an excellent speaker. Thanks 🙂

  24. justine foley

    Thank you for all that you have given me today. I particularly liked the Hokusai reading. I completed the 3 minute and 8 minute mindfulness exercises and feel so much more energised. Day 1 was great. Looking forward to day2! Signed in from Ireland.

  26. mark williams

    Roger Keyes was delighted to hear about the summit and I am so grateful for his permission to read his wonderful words:

    Hokusai says

    Hokusai says Look carefully.

    He says pay attention, notice.
    He says keep looking, stay curious.
    He says there is no end to seeing.

    He says Look Forward to getting old.
    He says keep changing,
    you just get more who you really are.
    He says get stuck, accept it, repeat yourself
    as long as it’s interesting.

    He says keep doing what you love.

    He says keep praying.
    He says every one of us is a child,
    every one of us is ancient,
    every one of us has a body.
    He says every one of us is frightened.
    He says every one of us has to find a way to live with fear.

    He says everything is alive –
    shells, buildings, people, fish, mountains, trees.
    Wood is alive.
    Water is alive.
    Everything has its own life.
    Everything lives inside us.
    He says live with the world inside you.

    He says it doesn’t matter if you draw, or write books.
    It doesn’t matter if you saw wood, or catch fish.
    It doesn’t matter if you sit at home
    and stare at the ants on your verandah or the shadows of the trees
    and grasses in your garden.

    It matters that you care.

    It matters that you feel.

    It matters that you notice.

    It matters that life lives through you.
    Contentment is life living through you.
    Joy is life living through you.
    Satisfaction and strength
    are life living through you.
    Peace is life living through you.

    He says don’t be afraid.

    Don’t be afraid.

    Look, feel, let life take you by the hand.
    Let life live through you.

    – Roger Keyes –

  27. Wendy Lawson

    Watching Day 1 from Cape Town in sunny South Africa. Thank you for this wonderful initiative and I really enjoyed the first interview, and the Hokusai reading is just lovely. with appreciation. Wendy

  30. Mary Beth+Lewis

    I live in the middle of the United States, Kansas. Just finished listening to Mark, it’s actually 4:00p. Thursday afternoon. The thought of doing things “mindfully” is a new concept to me. I think I lose a lot in life because my mind is always several steps ahead of me. I’m a really looking forward to taking this journey with all of you and look forward to visiting with some of you.

  31. erica forbes

    WOW so very grateful!! . just completed day 1 and am so inspired and nourished by the conversation.. What i found to be a life changer — (I’ve been practicing for a few years now) is the notion that each time i bring my busy wandering mind back into the moment, it can be done with kindness and friendship! I can put down the impatience, the thought ‘there i go again, i’ve done it wrong.. i’m such a bad meditator’, etc.. Your explanation of going to the gym and it IS the equipment we are doing our work with. ahhh That has never before been made so available and clear and I am utterly delighted and grateful. THANK YOU Erica in DC

  32. mark williams

    Dear All,
    Logging out now.
    Thank you to everyone for your comments.
    A huge thank you to Melli and Matt for getting this all together. it promises to be an extraordinary few days.
    Go well.
    Here is a benediction from the late John O’Donohue for us all.
    “May all our fears
    Be met with tenderness.
    May all that is unforgiven in us be released.
    May all that is unlived in us
    Blossom into a future,
    Graced with love.”

    Many blessings for the rest of the summit
    Warmest wishes
    Mark

    2. Emily Hanlon

      Than you Mark, I have your books and downloads, you are an inspiration, thank you for sharing with us who need mindfulness, have to say, I listen to your downloads every day, great to see you in person warm wishes, from Ireland x

  35. sophie

    Interesting conversation. Only thought: How am I going to find the time to listen to such long talks and so much information plus meditating every day of this challenge. I’m concerned it’s going to stress me out trying to fit it all in. Maybe less is more.

  37. Jan knight

    Hello from Bournemouth, UK

    Fantastic first lecture.

    I so wish this was available on the nhs in my area it’s so much better than CBT which for me was a waste of time. I will go and buy the book in a hoPe that this will do for now. Great work.

  38. Mary Fiorenza

    Thank you for offering this project to all. I have spread the word to my yoga students and others. I’m looking forward to an insightful month. It’s been so informative to have this background information on the studies that you’v conducted Mark. Such humanitarian work,

  39. Ricardo Forbes

    Professor Mark Williams, and Millie Obrien, this interview is excellent, and watching the interview, lets you feel that what is being discussed is real, and you are there in the moment. Hearing you speak about Auto-pilot, sometimes you feel that way, but then practicing the 3 minute breathing space is incredible. I am not a clinician, but I do a lot of mentoring with kids that lack guidance, and exhibit very low self-esteem. I am glad to know that members of the UK Parliament are finding it useful, the CEOs who meet in Davos, and yes, it need to be taught in schools, because if you don’t teach a child how to pay attention, they wont get it, and they will fall through the cracks. I am completing a documentary on Mental Illness and using mindfulness to help alleviate and lead kids out of Depression.
    Thank you again for this presentation, and I will be listening tomorrow at the same time.

    I am watching you from the Cayman Islands, and we raise awareness on subject matters such as these. Great material and great presentation. Ricardo F.

  43. Debra Todd

    After a full-on day alone with my beautiful baby boys they finally went to sleep and I could sit down and soak up Day 1 of this intriguing month of mindfulness. An informative, thought-provoking and inspirational interview. Feeling relaxed, positive and looking forward to what the next 30 days have to share… Sending many thanks from the UK!

  44. Shital Perwaz

    Just finished watching Professor Wiliams , great start to day 1 and definitely looking forward to day 2. It’s going to be a very inspiring month. So happy to be taking part in this summit. :).

  47. Kasia Skoczek

    Hi everyone, Love from Poland 🙂 Milli and Mark, thank You for great first day of the Summit! I love the idea of that online event and rising community around it. Big changes are made by small steps. 🙂

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